Whiskey Barrel Speaker Enclosure

[deburgess]

Has anyone modified a Whiskey Barrel to serve as a ported speaker enclosure?

Thank you for your thoughts and advice.

[Geek]

I'm sure many members will help you empty one to try

But in seriousness, not unless it was sealed and stuffed somewhat, as the volume of a barrel is too large for most fullranges. Now if we talk subwoofer....

Cheers!

[mr ed]

I will gladly sample the whiskey!

Does your location anything to do with this? Maybe a free barrel or two?

Cheers
Ed

[pjanda1]

I love the idea! (Well, could be because I love bourbon). You might be able to put all that volume to use with a very large 12" or 15" fullrange. There are some new options (Eminence 12LTA, Hammer Dynamics, Audio Nirvana) in addition to vintage. I didn't run any numbers, but you should be able to find something that will work. Another option is a fullrange augmented by a sub or two, perhaps even both incorporated into the same barrel.

Paul
www.wildburroaudio.com

[badman]

We're working on a winebarrel project right now, dual opposed CSS Subduction 15"s in each of 2 barrels, and a single BD15 in each of 2. The BD15 will be heavily stuffed and have 1 open end like a U-frame. Should give us a 1st order rolloff right about 100Hz.

[deburgess]

Thank you very much for your comments and input.

I am trying to design an enclosure for a P.Audio BM-15CXA coaxial driver.

According to the formulas on this page:
ENCLOSURE FORMULAS

The "ideal volume" is Vb = 2.4 cubic feet = 18gal.

So, I may try a 30 gal casket.

Should I try to add material to the sides to dampen reflections?

How should I port the enclosure? I was thinking of adding ports to the front lid to tune the enclosure to 59Hz.

Again has anyone tried to this sort of design on some type of drum or barrel?

Thanks again.

[HareBrained]

US law mandates the oak barrels used in whiskey and wine be used only once. They can be used in making beer. It makes for an interesting flavor. But most are sold or disposed of. I have 3 sitting in my yard (only $25/).

And although it can be used as a casket, the name is "cask".

[badman]

One important part is that since it's effectively a tube, you need to use a lot of damping material. Which pretty much rules out any resonant enclosure style (vent, PR, TL) unless you're tuning near-aperiodic.

On the upside, it's an easy, high-strength enclosure. I suggest coating the interior with truck bed liner or epoxy. The magnet can be braced to the back panel using a PVC tube of appropo thickness. This will help with some of the tube resonance issues by creating a donut cross section rather than a circle, as well as use up some of that volume excess.

[pjanda1]

Originally Posted by HareBrained

US law mandates the oak barrels used in whiskey and wine be used only once.

Isn't the law that you can't reuse the cask and still call it Bourbon or Tennessee Whiskey? Buffalo Trace has produced a few "experimental" whiskies in barrels previously used for Sherry, Zin, Cab Franc and Chardonnay . I don't think it is illegal, so long as they don't label it "bourbon".

As a side note, while Bourbon requires "new charred oak barrels" whisky markers on the other side of the Atlantic use barrels over and over again. They frequently employ casks that have been used for bourbon, and the added American content certainly contributes to those other drinks' tolerability

Back on topic: you might try simulating the enclosure in horn response or with MJK's worksheets. It is quite possible you can design an ML-TL that uses the pipes resonance to your advantage. Seems easier than trying to fight it.

Paul
Wild Burro Audio Labs - DIY Full Range Speakers

[Colin]

I have a feeling that Pioneer Japan make or made a speaker enclosure from wood derived from whisky barrels ... I can't remember where on earth I came across this gem. They claimed the wood was aged and they sounded nice. Personally I think the technicians were pulling a fast one over the accountants. ("They have to be supplied full so they can age properly in the lab before we use the wood.")